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Georgia Gardener

Hardwood Mulch

18 years ago

Has anyone used hardwood mulch? I read a warning against it's use somewhere once, but can't remember what it stated. I want to use it for a new residential landscape I am installing this week. I will be using it around trees and shrubs and to topdress the pansy beds. I will be buying it in bulk.

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Comments (5)

HoneyGum_SugarBush
18 years ago
I like pinestraw better but that's a personal choice. For the pansies, you might use pine bark nuggets because it's a little tricky to straw pansy beds.
woody_ga
18 years ago
I use hardwood mulch. I have for years. I refresh it once or twice a year.
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If that soil is retaining that much moisture you may need to find out the why and correct that, if possible. Is this simply because of compacted soil and will lots of organic matter actually correect it? Is it due to a high water table and is it seasonal, and does this need major drainage done to correct the problem? Is this bed on the edge of a wetland and therefore is this drainage problem not correctable?
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Any material you place on your soil to 1) aid in "weed" suppression, 2) aid in moisture retention, 3) aid in controlling soil temperature, and 4) aid in adding organic matter to your soil is mulch. I have no idea why some people distinguish between mulch, compost, and other stuff, or why people get so confused over what is a soil amendment and a mulch (the same material can be both). Compost can be used as mulch and the sun beats down on the compost and dries it out which slows the bacteria tht are digesting it, some. Covering that compost with another mulch material, ie. wood chips, will help keep the compost more moist and the bacteria more active. Does compost spread over the garden need to be covered with another material? It is your choice. Do you want to keep that compost moist and the bacteria more active or are you okay with letting the sun dry that compsot out?
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shredded leaves over hardwood mulch?
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Depends on your yard size, neighbors, and local regulations. I put down some shredded leaves down as mulch one fall, and the local authorities said, nope you can't do that. (That's why the neighbors are important, someone has to call them). The guy that came out also said I could not have seven small compost piles in the back yard, although later I checked the website and found no limit to the number of piles one could have (every month the same local government sends a circular reminding folks to recycle and compost!). Move from 4x4 foot piles to 4x8 foot compost piles. In three weeks you can shrink the pile size in half if you shred the leaves finely, and take maple and sweet gum leaves over oak (which is my staple leaf). If you have dogs, train them to urinate on the piles, but not to do number two there. I use a compost thermometer to check the core temps, and turn when necessary. My nicely shredded pile has been at 140F for a week, and should remain there another week or more with proper turning and watering. The other pile has mostly whole leaves, and registers 120F on one end and 85F on the other end.
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Looking for hardwood Mulch in Montreal quebec or close to montrea
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HI everyone, i am looking for hardwood mulch in quebec, mostly in montreal ,if anyone knows where to buy some please let me know, also bulk hardwood chips would be good too. Thank you !
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
18 years ago
Some of the typical warnings (founded or otherwise) would be termites (keep mulch a foot or more away from buildings), nitrogen tie-up (not really credible, unless the mulch is in very small pieces), damage from artillery fungus (a problem in some areas, not in others). There have been some lawsuits regarding vehicle damage from artillery fungus spores. This unobtrusive fungus can shoot its sticky spores up to 6 feet. It will NOT be removed from cars, siding, or anything else by any known cleaning agent!!!!

I've used hardwood mulch forever, with no problems. It lasts much longer than pinestraw.
vroomp
18 years ago
I too use hardwood mulch for most all my beds although, I like the triple ground Cyprus the best but, it is hard to find since Florida has had so many Hurricanes. The triple ground and double ground Cyprus is soft enough for bare feet and seems to stay put better than the other types I have used in the past. It also lasts much longer, up to 3 years even.
alex_7b
18 years ago
There are two general uses of mulch; soil conditioning and top dressing.

Pine does not break down well so is of little use as a conditioner. However, for top dressing LL Pine straw seems optimal for appearance and price.

For soil conditioning I use either peat moss or hardwood mulch. The peat moss seems best for acid-loving shrubs like Gardenias and Azaleas. I like hardwood mulch for most other things as it breaks down into a nice rich, black topsoil in about 1 to 1-1/2 years.

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